Foreign Affairs and Cooperation Minister Bendito dos Santos Freitas said Timor-Leste holds this purpose in a spirit of total openness and cooperation, with a view to progressing in aspirations set out in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Speaking at the Summit that concludes on Saturday in Havana, Freitas stressed that the two-day meeting emphasises the pressing need to promote a fairer international order for the states of the Global South.

Timor-Leste recognises that the G77+China, as the largest intergovernmental organisation of developing countries in the United Nations system, plays a strategic role not only in promoting our collective interests, but also in enhancing our joint negotiating capacity on important global issues, Bendito dos Santos Freitas said.

He added that they place great value on the group’s decisive role in promoting and defending the common interests of southern territories, particularly through the 2030 Agenda, which outlined an unprecedented plan of action based on the collaborative action of states.

The comments came as   President of the Republic José Ramos-Horta is in New York this week to represent Timor-Leste and deliver a statement at the 78th Session of the United Nations General Assembly there.